Ridgefield Marine leads platoon to laughs

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, January 26, 2005

After the show, Orr, 23, snuck down toward the stage and asked Leno if he would let the Marines come down, meet him and take pictures. Leno obliged.

"It was awesome," said Orr, a combat engineer with the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion. "Jay is really nice, very friendly. He welcomed the Marines and thanked the Marines for what they were doing and shook everyone's hand."

"The goal was to do something that was upbeat and good for the Marines morale," said Orr. "I think we have accomplished that. The Marines really enjoyed themselves."

When Orr said "we," he was referring to Jessica McCadden, 26, a 1996 Ridgefield High graduate who helped the Marines get 43 tickets for the show. McCadden does publicity work for NBC Entertainment's prime time shows, from "ER" to "Law & Order." She works a few floors away from where Leno tapes "The Tonight Show."

Orr, who has been a good friend of McCadden's brother, Brandon, for years, asked McCadden if there was any way to get his Marines the tickets to see the show.

Before Orr left California to head to the East Coast to see family and friends for a few days, she gave him a hug good-bye and said to be safe and e-mail her family. Orr's parents, Robert R. and Deborah K. Orr, live in Ridgefield.

"He is really dedicated to his country," said McCadden.

After high school, Orr went to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. After graduating, he accepted a commission into the Marines, trained in Quantico, Va. and was stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. for about five months. In May he transferred to Camp Pendleton in California.

"I have always felt this was my place," said Orr. "I love the challenge. I love the leadership opportunities. It is a tremendous honor to lead 43 great human beings, to watch them do great things."

He and others in his battalion are experts at demolition. They blow up anything that needs to be blown up. For instance, he said, if a stockpile of weapons is found, he and his battalion go in and destroy it.

The battalion is also fully qualified in "infantry tactics," meaning urban environments.

Orr said he has a great network of friends and family that supports him and he appreciates that.

Brandon McCadden, 23, of Washington, D.C., would rather not see his friend go to war, but he said he knew it was coming. This is what Orr has been preparing for since joining the Marines, he said.

"I am proud of him," said McCadden, a 1999 Ridgefield High School graduate. "He is doing a great service to the country. I think there are a lot of brave people going over there."

Orr puts it this way: "Ships look great in the harbor, but ships are made for the sea. Same for Marines. We are going to do what we are supposed to be doing. It is time to go."